Rain World Reviews
Rain World is a surprising fun game when it manages to click together. However, it also suffers from some frustrating design choices that makes it difficult to enjoy the game. Despite its flaws, the game offers a solid experience if you can overlook some of the difficulty spikes.
The monsters are vibrant and suffused with poisoned grace
To me, Rain World is an example of how independent projects can progress some of our basic conventions of fields like animation, design, and world-building, but also how sometimes they can ward off some players with their quirks as well. It is a game that instigates you all the time to experiment but also reminds you how risky your mistakes can be, keeping you always aware and focused. At times I was extremely pissed at the game and even though sometimes it was justified, I often saw that I was guilty of my deaths and realized that I could abstract knowledge from my mistakes to conquer this world. Its subjectivity and brutality will for sure be problems for many and they have been for me too at various times, but in the end I feel that experiencing Rain World is not so much about progressing in this world to get a conclusion (something I didn't come across after spending 15 hours on my playthrough), but is about understanding how this world works and make yourself the king of it, well, at least until the next time you die.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Even though the game frequently gates off my progression, I can't get enough of Rain World.
Too often in Rain World, death does not feel warranted, as the ruthless creatures make any attempt to advance truly punishing. I felt that many times that there was simply no way to avoid dying, which in turns sets you back in your progress to locate new areas to explore. There are thrilling moments in the game, but the poor design decisions in the game hamper any enjoyment.
Developer Videocult took a brave chance with Rain World.
For an Adult Swim game, I didn’t expect much. That’s still true. There isn’t much to this game, except for what there is. If that makes any sense? Rain World is an excellent piece of art; however, it leaves the story very ambiguous as far as I can tell, but the 2D side scrolling stealth platformer is not a game you want to miss.
An endearingly designed creature and a captivating world in ruins cannot save this 2D platformer from its punishing gameplay.
Despite how much I enjoy that kind of experience on a conceptual level, it definitely isn't my favorite kind of game to play, and I generally felt like I was solving puzzles with half of the pieces. Rain World is a beautiful, forward-thinking game that points to a form of game design that I want to see more of. I just wish it made itself a little more accessible.
Throughout it you can see the hard work that the team put in. From the weird physics engine to the character designs, and all the way to the pixel art, the game comes across as a labor of love. But somewhere it lost touch and decided to focus more on aesthetic than on the actual game design and gameplay. The game gives me a sense of defeat because there's such a beautiful and fun world that has been held down with the cumbersome controls and overbearing difficulty. Rain World is a game that will end up breaking you emotionally, not because the main character is cute and dies every five seconds, but because game forces you to submit to its rules without any form of consent.
Rain World is an incredible adventure and rewards persistence while being an extremely aesthetically pleasing game. Paying homage to older games with its design, it still feels like its own entity. To me, this is nostalgia done right.
In short, we can say that Rain World offers a platform adventure that also introduces some aspects of survival; However, if the game offers good ground on the card, in the realization we encircle some aspects that do not convince us too much.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Incredibly difficult but nicely drawn, atmospheric and surprisingly deep platformer about long and rough journey of one small slugcat. Rain World don't really have enough mercy, the game doesn't forgive the slightest weakness or inattention, and it's rules can remain misunderstood for a very long time. To go through it, you need an iron will, perseverance and aspiration. If you've got what it takes, it could be a lot of fun.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Rain World will probably establish a cult following, which is great because it deserves a fan base for its thoughtful ideas. Unfortunately, too many factors get in the way of what very well could've been one of 2017's most interesting indies.
Rain World might suffer from poor controls, challenging difficulty level, and some bad gameplay mechanics, but if you are patient enough, you'll enjoy it.
Review in Persian | Read full review
While working on my own review, I knew that the game received a lot of bad reviews. I did not want to read other reviews because I didn’t want my review to be influenced by others. Most people hate what they cannot understand. But for me, you can’t just hate a game simply because it’s difficult (what about Dark Souls?). When you’re playing to have fun, you need to give Rain World plenty of time to get the best out of it.
Rain World is certainly one of those “love it or hate it” type of release where the premise is either going to strongly resonate with you, or you’re going to abhor it and not want to play it again. The game’s presentation is top-notch, and its gameplay mechanics feel tight and to the point, but this might not be enough so save it in your eyes. Did I have fun with it? Yes. Is it a flawed release that could have been made a tad less difficult? Definitely. Is this a must-have game on PS4? Hard to say. But I’m sure that if you play the game you won’t forget about it anytime soon.
The moment you accept that you’re just another critter trying to survive and hopefully reunite with its family, is the moment you’ll be able to enjoy the title properly. As long as you can push through the frequent setbacks that death brings with it, Rain World will be a great experience of survival and discovery in a world that’s quite unique.
Sticks and stones may break my bones and the rain will totally kill me. Like every other thing in Rain World. If you are up to some challenging puzzle-platformer with extreme survivor elements, Rain World is what you are looking for.
Rain World is a charming and beautiful game held back by its overly punishing gameplay. Imprecise controls and cheap deaths contribute in making this survival platformer way more frustrating than it needs to be.